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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25516060">Rain</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/eridol/pseuds/eridol'>eridol</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Naruto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>ANBU Kakashi, Anbu Reader, Dad Iruka Umino, F/M, Pre-Canon, three years before the start of the series</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 08:28:30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>9,211</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25516060</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/eridol/pseuds/eridol</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Iruka's worst moments always seemed to happen when it was raining outside, and you had the same problem, which came to light again following an argument about his student, Naruto. He just prayed that things would work themselves out and that Naruto would get the happy ending that you never did.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Umino Iruka/Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>44</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Rain</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Iruka knew you had your bad nights- he had them too, and you'd both learned how to handle each other, which is why he wasn't surprised nor was he panicked when he walked into your shared bedroom after work to see you sitting on the middle of the mattress, huddled up in a burrito of blankets. You were holding them tightly against yourself and staring down into your lap, the only part of you that wasn't covered being your face.</p><p>"What's wrong?" Iruka asked though he was sure he already knew.</p><p>It had been a long day teaching at The Ninja Academy. Sakura and Ino had argued in the middle of class, one of Shino's bugs had landed on Hinata and scared her by accident, Shikamaru had slept through the class period for the most part, and the final assignment for the day had seemed to be nothing short of disastrous. Naruto had left the classroom in a clearly distressed state, only for Iruka to be stuck running after him for hours on end because he decided to go around vandalizing damn-near everything in town aside from Ichiraku, and then stuck dragging him home. </p><p>It made him sad to think about in detail, so he tried not to most of the time.</p><p>Due to the incident with Naruto, he'd been stuck dealing with it until dark, hence why he'd shown up so late. As soon as he'd arrived, he'd started making some vegetable and beef stew, and when it had started cooking, he'd walked to your bedroom- only to find you there, which was surprising since you were usually at work around this time unless... Unless it was a day where you weren't doing good mentally. <em>Fuck</em>. As soon as he realized, and as soon as the reminder of how late it was that he'd arrived at home hit him, he was overcome with guilt. It wasn't an uncommon occurrence, and you both knew it wasn't his fault, but he still felt terrible leaving you at home like this- even if he'd had no idea that it was going to be one of your bad days.</p><p>Then again, with how it was raining outside... He shouldn't have been surprised.</p><p>"I don't like this weather," You answered his question after a little too long and looked in his direction. You paused, clearly thinking over what you were going to say next, which gave Iruka the opportunity to listen to the falling rain. The second he'd gotten Naruto back to his apartment, it had started pouring down, which was quickly followed with thunder and lightning that made him cringe. With every loud boom and bright flash that passed, you seemed to fold into yourself more and more. "Brings back memories."</p><p>It made sense that this weather upset you- it upset him, too. The night after The Nine-Tails attack was a dark and stormy night just like this one, the same day as the funeral service for all of the lives that had been lost. There had been so many casualties that they couldn't do individual funerals for anyone aside from The Hokage, so there'd been a funeral for the masses who had died- the average ninjas like your parents and Iruka's parents.</p><p>Iruka remembered that night in graphic detail; sitting awake in what had been his and his parents' home, crying in what had been their shared bed. He still remembered his mother's perfume on the blankets, his father's shampoo on the pillowcases, their matching houseshoes against the wall, the framed photo of them on their wedding day that sat on the nightstand, the corkboard above their bed that kept all of the drawings and cards Iruka had given them over the years.</p><p>Sitting in that bed after the funeral had been worse than seeing the attack and hearing that they had died, because then he had to actually process that they'd never return to that room again, that the traces of perfume and shampoo would disappear with time, that those drawings and that photo were mere memories that would fade away with time without his parents there to keep them alive, that those houseshoes would never be worn again.</p><p>He hadn't left that room for days, only sitting in the same spot on the bed by himself and sobbing to the sound of the tumultuous storms that continued. They'd only stopped when he finally left that room.</p><p>Everyone seemed to move on way too fast. The Third Hokage took his old position back, the damage from the attack was fixed, the lives that were lost weren't really mourned. Instead of being sad about those who had died, most of the village channeled whatever negative energy was still lingering from the attack into hating the Jinchuriki who held the fox- a mere baby at the time. Iruka had hated Naruto for a short time, too, but he'd eventually matured. There was no point in hating an innocent child for something that he hadn't been old enough to control, and he wished the rest of the village would realize that, too.</p><p>From what you'd told him, you'd had a similar experience. Nights like this always reminded the two of you of what could've been. Maybe you would've grown up with a loving family without having to worry about growing up as fast as you could in order to survive. Maybe you would've been happier.</p><p>It was crazy to think that both of you had lived about half of your lives without your parents there, and he didn't like to think about it at all.</p><p>With a blink, he broke out of the memories, realizing that you were still there and that now was <em>not </em>the time to get caught up in his own feelings.</p><p>"Oh," The brunette sighed and took a few steps over from where he had been standing in the doorway to get to the bed where he sat down on the edge and rested a hand on your blanket-covered shoulder. "Uh... Me too. I get it. All you can really do is try to ignore the noise the best you can and preoccupy yourself- sitting in here and focusing on it silently won't help you any. You'll just get lost in your thoughts again."</p><p>"Well... Hound insisted on taking my shift so I could catch a break even though I told him I didn't need one."</p><p><em>That </em>explained why you were home.</p><p>Following your parents' deaths, you'd been recruited into the Anbu, and then into Danzo's Root, only to be put back into the Anbu after a couple more years. From what you'd told Iruka, your time in both places was horrid, but thankfully, you'd been put on a much easier and less traumatizing job over the more recent years. After Naruto was kicked out of Konoha's local orphanage at five years old and sent to live by himself, he had some issues; angry villagers trying to attack him, ninjas from other villages trying to kidnap him since he was the Jinchuriki for ransom or power, the occasional accident. So, you and Kakashi were in charge of making sure that the boy was guarded and taken care of when he wasn't at school. He wasn't allowed to find out that he was the Jinchuriki, neither you nor Kakashi were allowed to talk to him or alert him of your presence, and he wasn't allowed to be harmed. That was all there was to it.</p><p>"Kakashi did? You must've been tired, then."</p><p>Most of the time, you and Kakashi switched off with you watching over Naruto from after he got home from school to when he went to bed late at night, and Kakashi watching over him when he slept and in the early morning when he would return to The Ninja Academy. You had gotten a bit attached to Naruto despite not being allowed to talk to him, though, so you'd made a habit of taking Kakashi's shifts and watching over Naruto most of the time, which led to you not being home a lot. Iruka was surprised that he'd even seen you at all, but he was thankful to Kakashi for making you stay home and take a break for once.</p><p>"Yeah, but Naruto seemed off last night... He was crying in his room before he fell asleep. I wanted to check on him and make sure he was okay... There's not much for me to do now aside from worry about him and, well, <em>reminisce </em>over my parents."</p><p>"Why don't you come to the living room and sit with me? I'll make tea, I can put some records on while I grade. I have some stew in the pot that should be finished in the next hour. We don't have to talk if you don't have to."</p><p>"Don't wanna move," You grumbled.</p><p>"Alright, c'mon," You weren't heavy, so Iruka wrapped his arms around you and hoisted you over his shoulder, blanket-burrito and all. You were used to him hauling you around from place to place, so you didn't even object, simply laying against him like dead weight and allowing him to carry you into the living room. When the two of you got there, Iruka flicked the light on and set you down on your corner of the couch. You shifted to get comfortable, shedding the blankets so they'd fall into your lap before looking up at him. "There you go. Now, stay there, and I'll be back in a minute."</p><p>Though it was for more than a minute, he wasn't gone for long- just long enough to stir the pot of stew and boil you a cup of hot tea. When he returned to the living room, giving you your tea and sitting down next to you on the couch, you looked over at him with a questioning gaze.</p><p>"What are you grading?" You asked as you held the warm cup tightly in both of your hands. Your (e/c) orbs were now trained on the stack of papers that were on the coffee table in front of you, which he'd placed there as soon as he'd gotten home so he could sit down and grade them.</p><p>"I asked them to write a short paragraph about someone they care for- anyone they want. It's hard to get them to be passionate sometimes, so I do stuff like this every once in a while to bring out that side of them."</p><p>"Sounds nice," You murmured and took a sip of your drink as he leaned over the table and grabbed a pen, going through the papers that he was mostly just grading for participation. "Tea's good."</p><p>"I'm glad you like it."</p><p>"Who'd they write about?"</p><p>Iruka, who had already looked through most of the papers on his way home, easily remembered what the majority of his class had written about. </p><p>"Shikamaru and Choji wrote about each other... Honestly, I'm surprised Shikamaru wrote anything at all."</p><p>"Wait, he actually did it?" You laughed. Iruka had told you about all of his kids; names, personalities, passions, grades, abilities. Your memory was good enough to hold most of what he'd told you, especially the details about Shikamaru Nara, the genius who excelled in everything he did but fell asleep in class every day instead of putting effort into anything. </p><p>"Well, it wasn't a full paragraph like I asked for, but yes, he wrote it. Hinata wrote about Naruto, Kiba wrote about Akamaru, Shino wrote about his dad and his favorite pet beetle... Ino and Sakura wrote about Sasuke, who didn't even turn anything in, let alone write about either of them."</p><p>"Isn't he a really good student, though? He usually turns his work in and does a great job."</p><p>"Yeah, but he never bothers with assignments like this..." Iruka winced. He had been hoping that Naruto and Sasuke would write about their friends or something, but that hadn't happened at all. Now he just felt guilty for giving an assignment like that... "I guess I get it. He's orphaned and too jaded to make friends, so he doesn't really have anyone. The only real difference between him and Naruto is that Naruto never got to know his parents and Sasuke was raised by his only to lose them, which is probably what resulted in Naruto being so desperate for attention and Sasuke being the exact opposite. I usually just exempt both of them from these kinds of things if they decide not to do it."</p><p>"Did Naruto write anything?"</p><p>"He wrote, but he didn't turn it in. That's it right there," Iruka pointed to the crumpled ball of paper that sat next to the otherwise neat stack. It had been fished out of the trashcan a few hours before, and he hadn't opened it to read it yet. "He was the last one out of class, almost crying, stormed away and threw it in the trash on his way out. I guess he thought I wouldn't bother getting it, but I did... And if I'm being honest, I'm scared to read it. He always tries but despite that his writing assignments are almost always illegible and when I try to help him, he laughs it off and lies, says he wasn't trying in the first place anyway."</p><p>"Sounds just like him," You sighed, tone laced with worry. Iruka knew he probably shouldn't have talked about that- now you were just going to stay awake thinking about Naruto for the entire night. Just like Iruka, you worried about the kid a lot. "Wants to try to get everyone's approval, but acts like he doesn't care when it ends up failing. It's always so sad to see him doing that... Is he okay?"</p><p>"I'm sure he is... School won't be in session for another week. We're on break right now."</p><p>"I can't do this," You suddenly stood up and dropped the blankets on the couch, revealing that you were in nothing but a sport's bra and shorts. Iruka stood as well and watched confusedly as you slipped on a pair of sandals and grabbed one of his tanktops off of the floor to pull over your body. "I'm leaving."</p><p>"Wait, what?" Iruka rushed to get a jacket off of the coatrack so he could put it on you- when you said you were going to do something, you were going to do it, so you were going to leave. Wherever you were headed, he didn't want you to get drenched in rain and catch a cold. "Where are you going?"</p><p>"I'm bringing that boy dinner and then I'm bringing him back here to stay," You stormed past Iruka and into the kitchen where you dug through the cabinets to find a tupperware container, which you quickly began to load some stew into. Iruka was just thankful that it was fully cooked as he followed you and stood in the doorway, only able to watch and listen to you ramble. "The Third Hokage can go choke. I don't care if we aren't supposed to take Naruto in because of clan politics or some shit. Whether he's the Jinchuriki or not, he's a <em>child </em>and deserves someone to take care of him, especially after a bad day. I mean, it wasn't <em>your </em>fault, but seeing that assignment probably made him feel really bad and he ended up giving up on it. You said he was almost crying, didn't you?"</p><p>"...Yes."</p><p>"Then knowing him, he probably broke down and cried as soon as he got home," Iruka didn't like to think about that, but it was true. You'd come home after enough bad nights of doing your job and told him about how you'd had to witness Naruto breaking down through the window of his lonely little apartment for Iruka to know that it was a common occurrence. "God knows cold-blooded Kakashi- <em>Hound</em>, I mean, isn't over there comforting him, the dog of the state he is, he's always gonna follow Lord Third's orders and avoid interacting with Naruto- even if it kills him. Well, you know what? I'm not like Kakashi, I'm-"</p><p>"(y/n), sit down and think! We can't just..." Iruka trailed off. You shut the lid on the container of stew just a little too hard and slammed it down on the counter before approaching the brunette with a hard glare and crossed arms. </p><p>"The fuck I can't! What was Lord Third's reasoning again making such a foolish decision? I'll be surprised if something doesn't break that poor boy and make him turn into some sort of murderous psychopath."</p><p>You were right and Iruka knew it. Naruto should've been placed with someone like him, you, or Kakashi when he had been kicked out of the orphanage- all three of you were the only survivors of your respective clans, you had no reason to weaponize Naruto, and you had nothing but good intentions. Instead, Naruto was alone in an apartment at nine years old, and he wasn't doing good. Iruka knew that it wasn't good for Naruto's health to live like that from experience. He felt terrible seeing it, but at the same time, he was loyal to the village <em>and </em>to The Hokage. The Hokage had been explicit in laying out certain rules; teach Naruto properly, but don't get overinvested, and don't tell him the truth about things. Iruka wasn't supposed to go too far. <em>You </em>weren't even supposed to talk to Naruto at all. </p><p>"Well... Initially, he decided to have Naruto raised in the orphanage since both of his parents died during the attack and none of their extended relatives could be found to do it. Having him taken in by any of the clans like the Hyugas or the Uchihas would've aggravated the rivalries since the fox is so powerful and could be seen as a weapon, so that wasn't an option, but he feared that a civilian adopting him might've been even worse since they wouldn't be able to fix the seal if it were broken."</p><p>"And then he got kicked out of the orphanage, so he lives by himself in a shitty one-bedroom apartment. I know about those apartments they put the orphans in- no baths so they can't drown themselves, no heat so they don't burn themselves on anything, barely enough money for food and bills, a lonely little cot and one blanket and pillow, not-even-new clothes from the donations every couple years..." You gripped the kitchen counter, almost like you were trying to ground yourself. Your eyes were filling with tears, those of which you struggled to blink back. "That's how he lives."</p><p>"Right."</p><p>"Let's be real here. Our entire clans are dead. We don't benefit at all by raising him, and he's going to find out the truth eventually, so we're taking him in. I know you want to- you've just been skirting around it to avoid going against Lord Third's orders."</p><p>It was true- he did want to take Naruto in, but at the same time, the situation was complicated and he had no idea how to go about it. With a sigh, he relented.</p><p>"Fine, fine, you're right," Iruka grabbed the bowl of stew, careful not to pop the lid off, and then turned to you. "Let's go bring Naruto dinner. You can't be so rash, though, okay? I can talk to Lord Third about this tomorrow and make sure it's okay before we go through with it."</p><p>"Whether he says yes or not, I'm not changing my mind."</p><p>"I know you're not," He smiled and reached over to ruffle your hair with one hand as the two of you walked out of the kitchen, into the living room, and towards the front door. "I love how passionate you are about this, but remember that it's Naruto's decision, too. If we propose it to him and he's not comfortable with the idea, then we have to back off."</p><p>"I know. Let's just go bring him dinner..." You rested a hand on the front door's knob, and then stopped to look back at him. "And possibly an umbrella, too. It's been raining a lot more recently and I'm not sure if he has one. Does he have warm clothes? Maybe I should take him shopping soon, too, he's still growing..."</p><p>"Hey, don't stress yourself out. We can cross that bridge when we get to it."</p><p>"You're right. I just worry about him," You shook your head and opened the front door, and with that, the two of you were out.</p><p>Iruka looked back at the house very briefly before walking by your side, one hand holding the stew and the other on your hip as that arm was wrapped around your waist. The rain was still pouring, and Iruka didn't have a hood on, so his clothes were slowly becoming drenched with every drop that fell as he walked by your side, but he supposed it wasn't that big of a deal. He could just change when the two of you got home.</p><p>Your house was the first one the two of you had bought together, and he smiled as he thought about how you'd gotten there. It had been a warm summer night when the two of you had met at age twelve, almost right after you'd both lost your parents. He'd been roaming right outside of the village, only to see you in your Anbu uniform, stumbling past the village gates. It was obvious you were injured and alone, so he'd ran to you, and unsurprisingly, you passed out moments later. So, he'd taken you back to his little one-bedroom apartment to treat your injuries and make sure that you were okay since he didn't know where the hospital was and it had simply seemed like exhaustion. You'd woken up the following morning in Iruka's bed with him sitting on the floor beside it, your wounds bandaged and disinfected and your Anbu mask hung on the doorknob.</p><p>After that, you'd simply clicked; training together, confiding in each other, treating each other's injuries, and cooking for each other after missions. You'd saved up money from your Anbu job and his work as a Chunin to buy your house and move in together when you were teenagers, and then you'd started dating when you were fifteen. It had been four years since then, and while there were occasional bumps in the road, your relationship was going strong.</p><p>Iruka heard you sigh and looked over to see that you had arrived at the apartment complex Naruto lived in. His arm still around your waist and the tupperware container full of stew still in his spare hand, the two of you walked up the metal stairs and approached the blond's door. Iruka had been to the apartment enough times to know where it was, but now that he was actually taking a look at it, it made him frown. It was small and lonely, definitely not a place for a child to be living- he knew that much from experience.</p><p>When he knocked on the door, Naruto opened it- maybe a little too fast- staring up at the two of you. He was in his pajamas, blue eyes wide as he peeked through the open doorway and held onto the doorknob. </p><p>"Iruka-Sensei?"</p><p>"Hey, Naruto," Iruka tried to smile despite the concern that immediately filled him when he saw the inside of Naruto's apartment. It was dark, dusty, dirty, there were clothes and papers all over the floor, none of the lights were on, there was a freezing cold draft coming from the inside, and Iruka was pretty sure he saw a roach skittering across the wooden floors. "I know this is a little sudden, but you seemed upset today, so I just came by to check on you."</p><p>"That's a little weird, Iruka-Sensei! I'm fine, but," Naruto looked at Iruka, and then at you. Despite you having watched over him for years, Naruto had no idea who you were since you weren't allowed to make your presence known. "Who the heck is that?"</p><p>"Oh, right. Naruto, this is my girlfriend, (y/n)!" You awkwardly waved. Naruto continued to stand in the doorway, also awkward, so Iruka changed the subject. "When's the last time you've eaten?"</p><p>Naruto seemed to sink into himself at that. You and Iruka shared a worried look. </p><p>"Uh... I dunno," The Jinchuriki mumbled, shifting his weight between his two feet. His cheeks were burning red. "Like, a couple days ago? I kinda maybe sorta totally used all my allowance on ramen, my coupons are all used up, and Teuchi at Ichiraku always gives me it for free when I don't have money but I feel bad doing it all the time, so I haven't been going. Don't worry, though! It's no problem, so-"</p><p>"We brought dinner," Iruka cut off Naruto's rambling and gently pushed the bowl of hot stew into the boy's hands. He looked up at Iruka, and then at the stew again, his face lighting up. "You have my address. If you need food or anything else, we're only a few blocks away. Just come over."</p><p>"O-Oh... Okay. Thank you!"</p><p>"Sure thing," You smiled and nodded, then took a step back. "We've gotta go, okay? It's nice meeting you."</p><p>"Nice to meet you, too! See you at school, Iruka-Sensei!"</p><p>"See ya, Naruto."</p><p>Then, Naruto shut the door. You and Iruka silently turned away and walked away from the apartment, hitting the street yet again, only for the silence to be interrupted by-</p><p>"Mouse," Iruka jumped at the sound of Kakashi's voice calling you by your codename. It was weird- he hadn't even been able to sense the Jonin there, but when he looked at you, you didn't appear shocked at all to see Kakashi jumping from one of the surrounding trees and on the street to stand in front of the two of you. His Anbu mask was still on, covering his face completely, but Iruka knew the voice well enough, and if that wasn't a dead give away, the messy silver hair certainly was. "Iruka."</p><p>"Hound. What do you want?" You spoke, tone ice-cold. In front of Iruka, you were typically emotional and fiery, but around your coworkers, you were so stoic that it was weird for him to see. Part of him was glad that it was so late that no one else was out at this time. </p><p>"You just broke Lord Third's rules," Kakashi tilted his head and crossed his arms.</p><p>"You think I care?" You scoffed.</p><p>"Of course not, but why all of a sudden? What's your plan here?"</p><p>"You think that's your business? If you go and tell him before I get the chance, I'll kill you."</p><p>Iruka felt his blood go cold. He knew you were a woman of your word, but it was still shocking to hear you straight up threaten to kill Kakashi if he were to go and rat you out to The Third Hokage.</p><p>"Oh, I believe you," Kakashi laughed and threw his hands up, passively amused. "I won't tell him you visited if you don't tell him that I've been the one leaving Ichiraku coupons and clothes at the kid's doorstep since I got put on this job."</p><p>"Seems like we have an agreement, Hound," You sighed in relief and looked down at the ground as you pulled your hood further over your head. The rain had lightened up and was close to stopping, thankfully, so the three of you were only being hit by the occasional sprinkles. "Thank you for taking my shifts. I'll see you tomorrow night."</p><p>"Will do," Kakashi muttered, and then, he disappeared again, flickering back into the tree he had come from.</p><p>You mumbled something under your breath and grabbed one of Iruka's hands, pulling him along to walk down the dirt road and back to your shared house. It was a bit tense, so he decided to speak.</p><p>"Huh... That was interesting. How are you feeling?"</p><p>"...I feel a bit better. I'm a little less worried about Naruto now, but-"</p><p>"But what?"</p><p>"Did you see behind him?" You questioned as you shot Iruka a concerned glance. "Everything was dark and barren, messy... And I thought I saw a roach."</p><p>"Yikes... He has always been a little bad at cleaning up, but isn't it weird that it's dark despite it being this late? You- You don't think his electricity is out, do you?"</p><p>"I sure as hell hope not, if not for Naruto's sake than for Lord Third's," You hissed. "If that's actually the case, I'm fighting The Hokage on sight for not having someone monitor that boy better."</p><p>"C'mon, babe, calm down..." Iruka stopped and stood, you doing the same as he put a hand on your shoulder in an attempt to make you relax. </p><p>"Calm down?" You spat, which was followed by you dropping his hand and jerking away from him. "You did not just say that."</p><p>"What's wrong with it? You're getting yourself worked up over something that neither of us can control-"</p><p>"Calm down, you say..." You paused to rub the bridge of your nose between your thumb and pointer finger before glaring at him. "Maybe you should be angrier! How the hell are you so calm about this? It's bullshit and you know it!"</p><p>"(y/n), we both know how complicated this situation is. The Third Hokage could've made better decisions, sure, but he tried his best and-"</p><p>"That's not good enough, Iruka! Don't you get it?" Your voice cracked. Iruka was concerned about you now, and the realization hit him that maybe this wasn't just about Naruto. Maybe your own issues were hitting you hard, and maybe they were making you worry more than you already did. "Naruto's just like we were back then! Why don't you care!?"</p><p>The brunette's blood began to boil hot despite how cold he felt. You knew he loved his students, knew he cared about them, so how could you ask something like that?</p><p>"Of course I care!" He exclaimed, holding a hand over his chest as tears began to fill his eyes. "Are you kidding me? I love my kids more than anything and you know that! Seeing him like that every day reminds me of myself and I hate it, I hate myself for not being able to help him, and I hate that Lord Third has been so irresponsible!"</p><p>"Then why aren't you acting like it? Just so you can defend the name of the man who failed two if not three generations of orphans? Everyone thinks he's this nice, old, wise man who's never done anything wrong in his entire life, but him and that bitch ass Danzo have fucked the entire village and the children in it!" You yelled. Iruka huffed- he knew that you had your own feelings towards Hiruzen and Danzo- especially <em>Danzo</em>, who you felt had 'ruined' you during your short time in Root, and those feelings were valid. He hated seeing you upset like this, but the issue was complicated and he wasn't sure how to react without letting his own feelings interfere too much. "And y'know what? Fuck them and fuck every damn politician here! You can justify it however you want, but as good as you turned out, there are kids like me and possibly Naruto who end up absolutely fucked just because our current system sucks-"</p><p>"Stop that. You turned out just fine, and Naruto will too," Iruka finally decided to wrap his arms around you and pull you in. You instantly melted into his touch, leaning against his touch as he rested one hand on your waist and the other hand on the back of your head. "You turned out amazing, and as shitty as things were, I'm glad they happened the way they did or we might not be the way we are now. The violent attack that made us like this was senseless, and so is the orphanage and the fact that children are raising themselves, but some things happen for a reason. Are you sure this is really just about Naruto?"</p><p>"What's that supposed to mean?" You asked, sniffling and pulling back. </p><p>"I mean... Are you sure this isn't just about you? I know something's been on your mind recently, and with this sudden change, um..." Iruka cut himself off briefly, but he had already offended you that night, so he figured he couldn't do much worse than he already had and continued. "Well, I was just wondering if you've been thinking about the attack again, and about yourself. I know you always get down about it when you do."</p><p>"Of course I have... There's hardly a time when I'm not thinking about what happened," You rolled your eyes and let out a bitter laugh before continuing. "But that doesn't mean that this is about me! It's about Naruto. I'm worried about him."</p><p>"So am I... I'm sorry."</p><p>"Me, too. I shouldn't have blown up like that, it's just-"</p><p>"I know. I think we're both feeling a lot of things right now, so you don't have to explain it. Let's just get home, okay?"</p><p>"Okay."</p><p>The rain stopped.</p><p>The two of you began to walk again. </p><p>Eventually, you got back to the house, both of you tiredly trudging through the front door and to your shared bedroom. Iruka looked at you the second you got in and winced; you looked exhausted, bags under your teary eyes, hair a mess, clothes drenched in rain just like his were.</p><p>"Let's get you out of those clothes," Iruka began to peel off your clothes; first, your (his) jacket, and then your (his) tank top, followed by your tanktop, shorts, and underwear. You quickly found clothes from the dresser and got redressed in pajamas as he did the same. "Wanna just go to bed? I can go put the stew up."</p><p>"Yeah."</p><p>You tumbled into the bed without another word and got snuggled up beneath the blankets. Once Iruka was sure you were comfortable, he turned to leave the bedroom and head into the kitchen. He went through his nightly routine of putting dinner up, turning the lights off, and making sure the doors were locked before returning to the bedroom, where he crawled into bed, only for you to latch onto him almost instantly. </p><p>"(y/n)..." The brunette mumbled as you tossed a leg over both of his and curled up to his side. </p><p>"I love you."</p><p>"I love you, too. Let's sleep, okay? I know we'll need it."</p><p>~</p><p>The next morning was a mess. You were leaving so you could make Kakashi go to bed and take over his guarding of Naruto, and Iruka had woken up late. The Ninja Academy was on fall break, so he didn't have classes to teach, but he still had other work to do at the school building; cleaning, grading, lesson-planning, and- Oh, <em>fuck</em>, the Naruto issue. That was definitely the most important thing on his list. </p><p>It was night now. The brunette was currently sitting at the large desk in his classroom, grading the assignments that he had neglected to take home the night before. No one had been at the school aside from Mizuki, who had already left, so Iruka figured there was no one there- at least until-</p><p>"Iruka, what's on your mind?" The Hokage asked, leaning against the doorway with crossed arms and a knowing smile. </p><p>"Gah, Lord Third-!" Iruka exclaimed and slapped a hand over his own chest as he nearly jumped out of his chair. He hadn't been expecting to see Lord Third, let alone in The Academy when school wasn't even in session. That made the Chunin wonder exactly what the older man was doing there.</p><p>"Yes, that's me."</p><p>"What are you doing here?" The brunette questioned as he stood from his chair and walked over to where The Third Hokage was standing.</p><p>"I just came to check on things here, but what's wrong with you? Why, I passed you on the street earlier and tried to say hello, but you were so frazzled that you didn't even notice me," Iruka's cheeks burned red at that. He had woken up late, so he'd gotten up and ran to The Ninja Academy, not even thinking about all of the people he'd passed on the street. Even if he'd wanted to pay attention to his surroundings, his mind had been clouded by the fact that he was late and, more importantly, the issue with Naruto. "You're nervous about something."</p><p>"Um... It's about Naruto," He mumbled.</p><p>"Oh? Has he been doing alright in class?"</p><p>Iruka paused, staring up at the man that- as a child- he'd considered his idol for years. After growing older and realizing more things about what had happened with the Nine-Tails attack, after realizing that he did have the right to be upset about what had happened to him and Naruto, and after dealing with you when you were younger... While you were bitter about everything and certainly biased back then, Iruka realized that you had fair points, and he agreed with many of them. The Third Hokage was more concerned with pleasing the elders that oversaw his work than he was with pleasing the village. He was irresponsible. There wasn't a proper system in place to help orphans in need- or to help anyone in need, really. While the orphans like Naruto were important, there were also plenty of ninjas who had retired due to physical injuries or mental health problems who were struggling, elderly who were struggling, civilians who weren't strong enough to defend themselves and being attacked or hurt more than they should've been. The Third Hokage wasn't doing enough and Iruka knew that, but he himself had always been a little too forgiving, and he was willing to admit that the man was at least trying. Maybe trying wasn't exactly enough, but it was better than nothing. </p><p>So, he put whatever anger he had aside and offered a small shrug.</p><p>"He's been doing as alright as usual, but this isn't about that," Iruka explained. "I'm worried about him. You give him an allowance to take care of himself physically, but he's obviously hit some curbs in maturing mentally and emotionally due to how he's been raised, and what I mean by that is that he hasn't been raised. He can't handle money, the apartment he lives in isn't safe or clean, and he needs more structure, supervision, and more importantly, <em>love</em>. So... I was thinking about having him come to stay with me and (y/n)."</p><p>"For someone who didn't want to teach him at first, it seems like you've grown quite attached to Naruto?" Hiruzen quirked a brow, and Iruka nodded.</p><p>"Well... Yeah, you're right. So?"</p><p>"I'm wondering what made you propose this so suddenly."</p><p>"(y/n)'s worried, too, and she's pretty upset about it. He's been declining a bit recently, and honestly? With all due respect, even if you say no, she's going to make it happen somehow. We both know how she is, and I'm in agreeance with her."</p><p>"Well, then... I'll allow it," To Iruka's surprise, Hiruzen grinned and nodded. "It'll be good for him. Go about it however you see fit."</p><p>"Wait, really?" He blinked. "That easy?"</p><p>"What, did you expect me to make it hard for you?"</p><p>"I'm not quite sure what I was expecting, but thank you so much!"</p><p>"Of course," Hiruzen placed a hand on his shoulder, strong and comforting as ever. "Let me know how it goes."</p><p>"Okay, I will! I've gotta go, see you later!"</p><p>And, with that, he was gone, rushing home to tell you the good news. </p><p>~~</p><p>When he got home, it was already nine o'clock. He wasn't sure whether or not you would be home, but his question was quickly answered when he walked into your shared bedroom to see you standing in front of the long mirror that was in one of the corners. He had basically ran into the bedroom with a huge grin on his face, so it made sense that you instantly turned to face him.</p><p>"Iruka?" You took your mouse-shaped mask off and hung it on the rack on the wall, starting to change your clothes. You continued to talk as you slipped into your casual wear and fixed your (h/l) (h/c) hair. "What's got you in a good mood?"</p><p>"Lord Third said yes!" He cheered. </p><p>"Wait, w- Oh! He said yes about Naruto coming to stay!? That's great!" Without any warning, you tackled Iruka, who immediately lifted you up and into his body as you wrapped your arms around his neck and laughed with glee. After what had happened the night before, it was definitely a welcomed sound that made him smile even wider than he already had been.</p><p>"I know this is really sudden, but we already have the guest bedroom set up. Why don't we go to Naruto's and talk to him? You've said he doesn't go to bed till late anyways," Iruka laughed as he set you down, able to remember the many times you'd complained about being worried about Naruto, who always went to bed past midnight for one reason or another. </p><p>"Well?" You started and slipped your shoes back on. The look you gave him was expectant. "What are you waiting for? Let's go!" You grabbed him by the arm and practically dragged him out of your room, and then out of the apartment. When the two of you got outside, it started to sprinkle. The streets immediately cleared since it was raining and late at night, so there were very few people when you and Iruka started on your way to Naruto's apartment complex.</p><p>"I'm so excited," Iruka smiled at you, earning a nod and a smile from you in return. "And relieved. I was afraid it was gonna be a problem."</p><p>"Hopefully Naruto likes the idea... We still have that to worry about."</p><p>"Yeah, that's true, but... Something tells me he'll be excited."</p><p>Naruto's apartment wasn't too far, so walking there wasn't that much work and only took a few minutes. It wasn't long before you were both standing at the boy's front door for the second time in two nights. You must have picked up on the fact that Iruka was nervous, as you quickly cut off his thoughts by knocking on the door. Just like the night prior, Naruto answered it a little too fast. </p><p>"Hey, Naruto, are you busy?"</p><p>"Uh, no, but why are you here, Iruka-Sensei?" Naruto looked between Iruka and you, shifting his weight between his two feet nervously. "And (y/n), right?"</p><p>"We wanted to talk to you about something. Mind if we come in?"</p><p>Reluctantly, Naruto opened the door all the way and allowed you and Iruka inside. The two of you would've sat down, but the place was so barren that there wasn't any furniture aside from Naruto's ridiculously small bed, so you stood instead with Naruto standing across from you. </p><p>"What did I do wrong this time? I didn't even prank anyone today, I swear-"</p><p>"You didn't do anything wrong, Naruto, I-" Iruka frowned and paused, letting out a huff. He felt terrible that Naruto's first conclusion was that Iruka and you were only there because he'd done something wrong... Was it really so rare for people to come see him that it only happened when he'd pulled one of his attention-grabbing pranks? "Look, I worry about you. I know I get angry at you for doing certain things and I seem really harsh sometimes, but that's just because I care, and I want you to know that I'm here for you. I don't think that this is the best place for you to live, and I don't like you being by yourself, so I was wondering how you'd feel about coming to stay with me and (y/n) from now on."</p><p>"Wait, what? Really?" Naruto questioned, clearly shocked. Iruka wasn't sure if it was a good shocked or a bad shocked.</p><p>"I know that's really sudden, and you don't have to, it's just something I wanted you to consider in case-" Before he could even finish, Naruto was practically launching himself at the brunette, wrapping his arms around him and sniffling. Iruka blinked and rested a hand on top of Naruto's head, a bit confused and extremely worried when he felt tears begin to soak through his shirt. "Oh... Hey, are you alright?"</p><p>"I'm just really happy! Someone wants... You really want me there?" </p><p>Oh. That explained the crying. Iruka himself knew the feeling of not being wanted well enough to know that Naruto had been going through it for years- hell, he hadn't overcome that until meeting you, and he certainly didn't want Naruto to feel that way.</p><p>"Of course I want you there," He spoke, ruffling the blond's hair. "I want to make sure you're okay, and I want to make sure you have a home. It'd be a privilege to have you around. (y/n) feels the same way."</p><p>Clearly embarrassed by his sudden emotional outburst, Naruto jerked back and wiped away his tears, then glanced between you and Iruka with a questioning gaze.</p><p>"When...?"</p><p>"Whenever you're ready," You spoke, and Naruto looked at you with hopeful blue eyes.</p><p>"Now?"</p><p>"If you want, sure," Iruka nodded, which instantly earned him an enthused grin from Naruto. The boy seemed to be bubbling with excitement, which was contagious to both you and Iruka. </p><p>"Go ahead and pack a small bag of clothes for now, we can get the rest of your stuff and bring it to the house tomorrow," You explained.</p><p>"Okay!"</p><p>Naruto ran into his small closet without another word, which gave you and Iruka the opportunity to whisper to each other.</p><p>"I can't believe it went that well," You murmured just low enough so Naruto couldn't hear.</p><p>Iruka had to admit, it was hard for him to believe, too. Naruto was extremely prideful and it was rare that he let his negative emotions and vulnerability slip like that or accepted any sort of help, but the brunette was praying that the minor slip up was some sort of progress- some sort of attempt from Naruto to open up to him and let him in, if only a little bit.</p><p>He wanted to reply to you, but before he could, Naruto was emerging from the closet with a backpack stuffed full of clothes and running up to the two of you.</p><p>"Ready?" He asked, pulling the bag onto his back. </p><p>You and Iruka both offered a nod, and then, you were leaving the apartment with Naruto walking between the two of you. When you got outside and hit the road, it was raining hard. You and Iruka tensed up when the thunder boomed, but Naruto only seemed excited.</p><p>"This is so cool!" The Jinchuriki cheered.</p><p>"Yeah?" You looked at Naruto, who despite only being in a t-shirt and shorts with tennis shoes, seemed utterly thrilled at the rain he was currently being lightly sprinkled by- there wasn't much for him, as you and Iruka were blocking most of it from hitting him with your height. </p><p>"I really like when it rains," The blond explained. You and Iruka listened. "No one else is outside so I can do what I want without people staring at me! And there's puddles!"</p><p>Naruto went to jump into one of the puddles, but you you stopped him.</p><p>"Woah, hey," Before Naruto's feet could hit the puddle, you swiftly picked him up and set him to the side, then continued walking. "You don't need to mess up your shoes. We'll get you some rain boots and a raincoat, then you can run around in the rain whenever you want, okay?"</p><p>"Okay!" Surprisingly enough, Naruto agreed to what you said instead of resisting and giving some sort of fight-back like he usually did with Iruka and most other adults.</p><p>"Here, take my jacket," Iruka muttered and pulled his jacket off to hand to Naruto. It was way too big, but the blond put it on anyways, thankfully salvaging all the clothes he was wearing underneath before they got drenched in rain. At worst, they were a little damp. "I don't want you getting soaked."</p><p>"What's your house like?" The blond asked as he messed with the drawstrings on the jacket he'd just put on.</p><p>"It's nice," You started. "A kitchen, two bathrooms, two bedrooms, a living room. One of those bedrooms and the bathroom that connects to it is going to be yours. We have a record player where we play music a lot, tea is made most nights and Iruka usually cooks dinner. It's pretty cozy."</p><p>"That sounds so cool! What does my room look like?"</p><p>"It's pretty plain right now, just a bed in one of the corners, a chair and a desk in another corner, a trash bin, and a nightstand. We can decorate it however you want, though, just give us some time to get all of your things and get you settled and we can get to work on that."</p><p>It was silent for the rest of the walk, Naruto using all of his self-restraint to avoid jumping in the puddles you all crossed and you and Iruka sharing the occasional glance. </p><p>"Here we are!" Iruka opened the door for you and Naruto, then walked in behind the two of you and shut and locked the door behind you. "Here, Naruto, I'll show you your bedroom. You're probably tired."</p><p>Naruto, of course, followed Iruka, who walked him to the guest bedroom and opened the door, flicking the light on. Naruto's blue eyes immediately lit up as he threw his bag onto the wooden floor and took in his surroundings.</p><p>"It's huge!"</p><p>"Be sure to make yourself at home and let me know if you need anything, okay? It doesn't matter what time it is, (y/n) and I's bedroom is down the hall to the left and you can come wake us up any time if something comes up." Iruka emphasized. Firstly, he wasn't sure if Naruto had even eaten dinner yet. Secondly, his sleep schedule was a mess and from what you'd said, he had nightmares regularly. It wouldn't be surprising if he ended up needing something in the middle of the night, and Iruka was alright with that.</p><p>"Okay!"</p><p>Naruto took a moment to look around and took off his (Iruka's) jacket, then jumped onto the bed. The brunette had expected for Naruto to simply stay up for a few more hours to get a feel for the room, but as soon as the blond's body hit the mattress, he was out cold. Iruka could only chuckle and flick the light off.</p><p>"Good night, Naruto."</p><p>Quiet so he wouldn't wake Naruto up, he walked out of the room and down the hall to the bedroom you shared with him, opening the door to see that you were standing by the dresser and digging through it for pajamas. </p><p>"Is he still in his room?" You asked as you changed your clothes for the second time that night, quickly slipping into a sweater and shorts and discarding your rain-stained clothes. "I figured he'd be restless."</p><p>"He laid down on the bed to get a feel for it and immediately passed out," Iruka explained, and then did the same as you had done moments before, changing into a tanktop and sweats before sitting down on the edge of your shared bed. Taking Naruto in had been a decision that was inspired by his feelings, and while he didn't regret it by any means, the logistics of it all was starting to flood into his brain. How was he supposed to handle everything? Would it be like parenting, or was that not his place to try and parent Naruto? How would he go about getting legal custody- hell, how did legal custody even work for an orphan that no one took care of? Stressed, he found himself resting his elbows on his knees and covering his face with his hands. "Classes don't start again for a few more days, so assuming he likes it here, we can get all of his things between now and then from the apartment."</p><p>"Are you okay?" You questioned, giving him a look of concern. It was like you were looking right through him- of course, you'd probably already picked up on the fact that something was wrong.</p><p>"I'm good, just..." The Chunin trailed off, then sat up straight as he struggled to find the right words. "A bit stressed. We need to help him with schoolwork, and I'm almost afraid to see his full mental state with everything that's happened, so he'll probably need help with that, too. In terms of finances and all the legal stuff, we should be fine once we figure it out, but... (y/n)?"</p><p>"Yeah?"</p><p>"I'm scared," He confessed. "I'm really scared."</p><p>"What?"</p><p>"What if I'm not good at this? When we came to see him tonight, his first thought upon seeing me was that I was coming to scold him because he did something wrong."</p><p>"I think that's just what he expects from everyone, Iruka," You moved to stand between the brunette's legs, threading your hands through his silky hair and taking the hair tie out. When he weakly smiled up at you, you pressed a kiss to the top of his forehead. "Try not to dwell on it too much."</p><p>"Yeah, but... I mean, what if I scare him away and mess everything up? What if I'm not enough to help him, or what if I just make things worse? I didn't have parents for most of my life, so what am I supposed to do? I don't have any examples to go by, and I know that sometimes I can be overbearing-"</p><p>"Stop it," Thankfully for both of you, you cut off his rambling by resting your hands on his cheeks and making him look you in the eye. "You're doubting yourself again. It'll be fine."</p><p>"You really think so?"</p><p>"I'm not gonna lie and tell you that this is going to go perfectly," You started. "We didn't have our parents there when we needed them, so we don't have anything to go on, we're both emotional people, and we've never done anything like this. It's going to be hard, there will be bumps in the road, and it'll be an adjustment for all of us, but things will get better, and we'll be good. We'll be good at this, okay? It'll just take some time. You're gonna do great. I love you."</p><p>"I love you, too," Iruka murmured and rested his head against your chest, taking one of your hands and holding it in his. It was then that he noticed that he could no longer hear the constant pitter-patter of the rain against the roof or the booming thunder, that it had finally stopped raining, that the only noise he could hear now was the steady beating of your heart. </p><p>"Did it stop raining?"</p><p>"Yeah," He smiled, relieved. "Yeah, it did."</p><p> </p>
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